York Catholic District School Board
Catholic Education Centre, 320 Bloomington Road West, Aurora, Ontario L4G 0M1
Tel: 905-713-1211, 416-221-5051, 1-800-363-2711
Fax: 905-713-1272 ● www.ycdsb.ca

Office of the Director of Education
Ab Falconi

February 14, 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians,
I am writing to let you know we have completed our internal investigation into the fake cameras
that were placed in the boys’ washrooms at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Elementary School.
First, I would like to thank the parents and guardians of the St. Elizabeth Seton school
community for sharing their concerns about the situation or their support for Principal Bebie.
During our investigation, we confirmed that the cameras were not real and have removed them
from the school. We also determined that Principal Bebie believed she was acting in the best
interest of the school when the decision was made to install fake cameras as a deterrent to
unhygienic and unsafe use of the washrooms by students. We have concluded that there was
no intention to cause harm or distress to students and/or the school community.
This conclusion, coupled with the Board’s conviction that this significant error in judgement does
not eclipse a positive record of 28 years of service, has resulted in the decision to reinstate
Principal Bebie at St. Elizabeth Seton, effective Tuesday, February 18, 2020.
This was a serious situation and we have responded accordingly, in keeping with Board policies
and procedures.
An action plan has been developed to monitor and address any ongoing unsafe and/or
unsanitary conditions in the boys’ washrooms:
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Custodians are checking all washrooms regularly throughout the day
Teachers have put systems in place to closely monitor when students leave the
classroom to go to the washroom
During recess and lunch breaks, the supervising yard duty staff have a system in place
to control and monitor the number of students accessing the washrooms at a given time
Security cameras remain in place in the hallways of the school
An accommodation is available whereby students who are not comfortable using the
regular washrooms can use the individual washroom in the office. If you feel your child
requires this accommodation, please notify his/her teacher who will inform the office
Staff continue to remind students to report any misbehavior in the washroom to their
classroom teacher. We ask that you also remind your children to do this

 Recent reports from the school indicate that conditions in the boys’ washrooms have greatly
improved in the past week. The health, safety and well-being of students is a top priority for the
York Catholic District School Board. We will continue to monitor the situation at St. Elizabeth
Seton and will endeavor to keep you informed.
If you have any questions about this, please contact Tina D’Acunto, Superintendent of
Education at tina.dacunto@ycdsb.ca or 905.713.1211, ext. 13130.
Regards,

Ab Falconi
Director of Education